Skid steer scoop shovel

ABSTRACT

A scoop shovel for attachment onto a skid steer tractor having a very low profile to reach into areas with little vertical clearance. Optionally, the scoop shovel may be rotatable about a horizontal axis extending forward of the skid steer tractor to assist in dumping the shovel&#39;s load.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/442,790; of same title, filed Jan. 5, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to shovels, rakes, lifting and snow removal equipment for use with skid steer tractors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional tractor shovels have the disadvantage of being difficult to use in hard to reach locations. This is especially true when attempting to reach underneath of objects or into areas with little vertical clearance. What would instead be desired is a strong low-profile shovel that can be used with a tractor to reach into these low vertical clearance areas (for example, under hopper bins). The present scoop shovel provides such a system.

It would also be desirable to provide a tractor scoop shovel that is easily rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the shovel handle (extending forward from the tractor) to permit the contents of the scoop shovel to be easily dumped or unloaded. Such rotational motion would ideally imitate the movement of a person using a hand-operated shovel (i.e.: turning their wrist to dump the shovel's contents to one side or the other). In optional embodiments, the present scoop shovel provides such a solution as it rotates easily about its longitudinal axis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In various embodiments, the present invention provides a scoop shovel for use with a skid steer vehicle, comprising: a shovel plate; a skid steer mounting assembly; and a support assembly connecting the shovel plate to the skid steer mounting assembly, the support assembly being rotatable about a longitudinal axis extending through the support assembly from the shovel plate to the skid steer mounting assembly. Additionally, the support assembly preferably has an adjustable length such that the distance between the shovel plate and the skid steer mounting assembly can be varied.

In alternate embodiments, the present scoop shovel is attached onto the front of a standard skid steer tractor. The present scoop shovel advantageously has a very low profile to reach into areas with little vertical clearance. In one preferred embodiment, the present system provides a scoop shovel for use with a skid steer vehicle, comprising: a shovel plate; a skid steer mounting assembly; a pair of lower support bars spanning between the shovel plate and the skid steer mounting assembly, the lower support bars being mounted to opposite sides of the shovel plate; and a pair of upper support bars spanning between the shovel plate and the skid steer mounting assembly, the upper support bars being mounted to opposite sides of the shovel plate, wherein the angle between the upper and lower support bars is less than 30 degrees.

Preferably, the angle between the upper and lower support bars is between 15 and 30 degrees, and most preferably about 20 degrees. Preferably, the lower support bars have a length of at least 6 feet, and the shovel plate has a length of at least 4 feet. The shovel plate can have a low vertical height, for example, less than 5 inches. Preferably, the upper support bars contact the shovel plate approximately half way along the length of the shovel plate, and the shovel plate may have a narrowed mid-section. In such embodiments, the present scoop shovel is ideally suited to be inserted into areas with small vertical clearances and can grab underneath such objects. It is to be understood, however, that other dimensions are also contemplated to be within the scope of the present system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present rotating scoop shovel mounted onto a skid steer tractor.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the support assembly and scoop shovel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the scoop shovel of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present non-rotating scoop shovel mounted onto a skid steer tractor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the present system having a rotating scoop shovel, as follows.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present system in which the support assembly 500 connecting the shovel plate 300 to the skid steer mounting assembly 400 is rotatable about a longitudinal axis L extending through support assembly 500 from shovel plate 300 to skid steer mounting assembly 400.

As can be seen, support assembly 500 preferably also has an adjustable length such that the distance between shovel plate 300 and the skid steer mounting assembly 400 can be varied. Specifically, the adjustable length of support assembly 500 may be provided by an end 301 of shovel plate 300 being received into an end 501 of support assembly 500. This connection may be held in place by a removable pin connector 520 (which can be placed into one of a series of holes 525 longitudinally spaced apart into which removable pin connector 520 is inserted).

As stated above, the embodiment of scoop shovel 300 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis L. Specifically, a hydraulic motor 420 may be provided to adjust the relative rotational position of scoop shovel 300. Optionally, scoop shovel 300 is fully rotatable 360 degrees about its longitudinal axis L extending through the support assembly. In other embodiments, it is only rotatable 180 degrees. All angles of rotation are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. The rotation about longitudinal axis L is preferably controlled from within the cab of the skid steer tractor. Thus, scoop shovel 300 may be turned upside down to point slightly downward and scrape the surface of the ground, or push material sitting on the ground.

As can also be seen in FIG. 2, scoop shovel 300 may alternatively be substituted with a rake 350 or with a narrow shovel 375, as desired. A wider scoop shovel implement may be used for lifting snow or other light materials, whereas a smaller narrower scoop shovel implement may be used for lifting soil or other heavy materials.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the present system having a non-rotating scoop shovel, as follows.

A scoop shovel 10 is provided for use with a skid steer vehicle 20, comprising: a shovel plate 30; a skid steer mounting assembly 40; a pair of lower support bars 50 spanning between shovel plate 20 and skid steer mounting assembly 40, the lower support bars 50 being mounted to opposite sides of shovel plate 30; and a pair of upper support bars 50 spanning between shovel plate 20 and skid steer mounting assembly 40, the upper support bars 52 being mounted to opposite sides of shovel plate 30, as shown.

Preferably, the angle between the upper and lower support bars 50 and 52 is less than 30 degrees. More preferably, the angle is between 15 and 30 degrees. Most preferably, the angle is about 20 degrees. Preferably, lower support bars 50 have a length of at least 6 feet, and shovel plate 20 has a length of at least 4 feet. Preferably, shovel plate 20 has a vertical height less than 5 inches. Lower support bars 50 are preferably close to the ground, as shown. Together, these dimensions provide a low-profile lifting system that is able to reach into areas of low vertical clearance. By having such low and long upper support bars 52, the present system has a very low profile. Scoop shovel 30 may optionally be made from aluminum or from any other suitable material.

As can also be seen, a shovel plate rear support bar 55 extends across the rear edge of shovel plate 20, spanning between the pair of lower support bars 50. The upper support bars 52 may contact shovel plate 20 approximately half way along the length of shovel plate 20, as shown. As can also be seen, shovel plate 10 may have a narrowed mid-section in the region where the ends of support bars 50 and 52 contact shovel plate 10.

In its various embodiments, the present scoop shovel can be used to give an operator extended reach to add or remove material, or to scrape or clean in difficult to access areas. This extended reach allows the operator to use the skid steer tractor in areas that were previously inaccessible. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A scoop shovel for use with a skid steer vehicle, comprising: a shovel plate; a skid steer mounting assembly; and a support assembly connecting the shovel plate to the skid steer mounting assembly, the support assembly being rotatable about a longitudinal axis extending through the support assembly from the shovel plate to the skid steer mounting assembly.
 2. The scoop shovel of claim 1, wherein the support assembly has an adjustable length such that the distance between the shovel plate and the skid steer mounting assembly can be varied.
 3. The scoop shovel of claim 3, wherein the adjustable length of the support assembly is provided by an end of the shovel plate being received into an end of the support assembly, and held in position by a removable pin connector.
 4. The scoop shovel of claim 3, wherein the end of the shovel plate has a series of holes longitudinally spaced apart into which the removable pin connector is inserted.
 5. The scoop shovel of claim 1, wherein the support assembly is rotatable 360 degrees about the axis extending through the support assembly.
 6. The scoop shovel of claim 1, wherein the support assembly is rotatable 180 degrees about the axis extending through the support assembly.
 7. The scoop shovel of claim 1, wherein the shovel plate has a vertical height less than 5 inches.
 8. A scoop shovel for use with a skid steer vehicle, comprising: a shovel plate; a skid steer mounting assembly; a pair of lower support bars spanning between the shovel plate and the skid steer mounting assembly, the lower support bars being mounted to opposite sides of the shovel plate; and a pair of upper support bars spanning between the shovel plate and the skid steer mounting assembly, the upper support bars being mounted to opposite sides of the shovel plate, wherein the angle between the upper and lower support bars is less than 30 degrees.
 9. The scoop shovel of claim 8, wherein the angle between the upper and lower support bars is between 15 and 30 degrees.
 10. The scoop shovel of claim 8, wherein the lower support bars have a length of at least 6 feet, and wherein the shovel plate has a length of at least 4 feet.
 11. The scoop shovel of claim 8, wherein the shovel plate has a vertical height less than 5 inches.
 12. The scoop shovel of claim 8, further comprising: a shovel plate rear support bar extending across the rear edge of the shovel plate, spanning between the pair of lower support bars.
 13. The scoop shovel of claim 8, wherein the upper support bars contact the shovel plate approximately half way along the length of the shovel plate.
 14. The scoop shovel of claim 8, wherein the shovel plate has a narrowed mid-section. 